{"product_id":"espn-the-company-the-story-and-lessons-behind-the-most-fanatical-brand-in-sports-hardcover","title":"ESPN the Company: The Story and Lessons Behind the Most Fanatical Brand in Sports - Hardcover","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eAnthony F. Smith\u003c\/b\u003e (Author), \u003cb\u003eKeith Hollihan\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA fascinating look at ESPN and its success as a brand\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eESPN The Company\u003c\/i\u003e reveals the inside scoop on the biggest business story in sports, detailing the creative and innovative spirit and practices that drove the programming, products, and services of the most powerful and prominent name in sports media. The authors provide a behind-the-scenes perspective on how ESPN dealt with their many partners and how they handled mistakes and missteps along the way-from the humble beginnings of ESPN as an underrated startup to the pinnacle of their success as a major industry player.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eESPN and other great organizations invest in their people. They train them. They believe that if you spend the time and resources turning talented performers into leaders, you're going to get better organizational performance and engender higher levels of commitment and sweat. \u003ci\u003eESPN The Company\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003eExplores the dedication to excellence that makes ESPN the \"Worldwide Leader in Sports\"\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eReveals how the steps ESPN has taken to excel can be applied to whatever type of business you're in\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eShares the lessons learned at ESPN about launching and growing a wildly successful enterprise\u003c\/li\u003e \u003c\/ul\u003e \u003cp\u003eEngaging and informative, this entertaining guide reveals how \u003ci\u003eany\u003c\/i\u003e company can benefit by embracing the best practices of ESPN.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eFront Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThirty years ago, TV sports coverage was produced as a sidebar unworthy of serious news time. Game highlights, such as they were, usually consisted of scores and brief recaps crammed into a few minutes between news and weather on your local television channel. That all changed when Bill Rasmussen, an unemployed sports announcer in 1979, and a group of committed sports junkies in Bristol, Connecticut, decided to lease unwanted satellite time to broadcast some local college sports and minor league hockey games. They called their organization the Entertainment \u0026amp; Sports Programming Network which we know today as ESPN, the most powerful and prominent name in sports media, with twenty-seven satellite dishes feeding more than 97 million subscribers. How did Connecticut become the center of the sports universe?\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eESPN The Company tells the fascinating story of how ESPN managed to sustain its growth, innovation, and brand in a highly competitive and rapidly evolving marketplace. Based on over twenty years of consulting inside ESPN, Smith provides the reader with firsthand observations, experiences, and research, which reveals for the first time an inside look and feel for the type of organizational psychology and culture that exists at all levels of ESPN. The authors detail four distinct stages in the company's development that the company has gone through illuminating how ESPN's business decisions and accomplishments can be understood in the context of the company's evolution. We ultimately learn that at the heart of ESPN's success is one astoundingly simple principle: serve fans.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAfter each chapter, the authors share the lessons learned at ESPN about launching and growing a wildly successful enterprise--all the while enhancing economic and human value. The lessons are rich and applicable anywhere, and if you're a fan of business, competition, or sports, you'll enjoy reading and learning from this book.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eBack Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise For Espn The Company\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Any sports fanatic can appreciate what ESPN has done for sports viewing. ESPN: The Company provides keen insights into the business plan, leadership, and passion that dramatically changed the scope of sports television.\"\u003cbr\u003e --T. Boone Pickens, legendary entrepreneur and 2008 National Football Foundation Distinguished American Award winner\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\"The enormous success of ESPN did not happen by chance. The story and lessons of the powerful vision, decision-making, leadership, and corporate culture are all captured in Dr. Smith's very compelling book. Truly a must-read!\"\u003cbr\u003e --Mike Krzyzewski, \"Coach K,\" head basketball coach, Duke University and Gold Medal Winning United States Olympic Team, 2008, author of several bestselling books, including The Gold Standard: Building a World-Class Team\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\"ESPN The Company is a winner! It's a wildly entertaining book that teaches the fundamentals of the game better than any business book on the market. If you want to know how to build a successful franchise and how to keep loyal fans coming back day after day, you have to read this book.\"\u003cbr\u003e --Jim Kouzes, award-winning coauthor of the bestselling book, The Leadership Challenge, The Dean's Executive Professor of Leadership, Santa Clara University\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\"This book is for anyone who ever wondered how ESPN created, nurtured, battled, and branded what has become the worldwide leader in sports. Dr. Smith, a leading expert himself, shares the secrets of ESPN's success and presents the game plan for how, as he says, 'to think like an incumbent, act like a challenger.' \"\u003cbr\u003e --Lesley Visser, award-winning sportscaster and the first and only woman enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\"When Michael Eisner presciently called ESPN 'the crown jewel of ABC, ' he may just as well have been referring to Dr. Anthony F. Smith. Amidst the multitudes of management consultants out there, Tony is one of the precious few able to cut through the clutter and platitudes to deliver smart, strategic, and practical advice about leadership and organizational performance.\"\u003cbr\u003e --James M. Citrin, Senior Director, Spencer Stuart, author of several bestselling books, including The Dynamic Path\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAnthony F. Smith\u003c\/b\u003e is cofounder and the Managing Director of Leadership Research Institute, recognized as one of the leading management consulting firms in the world. He has been an active consultant for over twenty years in the areas of organizational change and assessment, team building, executive coaching and development, and leadership training and design. Smith has served clients in a variety of fields, including American Express, the National Football League, Coca-Cola, Goldman Sachs, the National Geographic Society, The Walt Disney Company, Deutsche Bank, and ESPN. His writing has appeared in several publications, including \u003ci\u003eBusinessWeek, the Economist\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eInvestor's Business Daily\u003c\/i\u003e, and he is the author of the critically acclaimed book \u003ci\u003eThe Taboos of Leadership\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eKeith Hollihan\u003c\/b\u003e is a writer who has collaborated with Smith and many other top business and leadership experts on books and articles covering a wide range of issues that leaders face today. He is the coauthor of the bestseller \u003ci\u003eEverybody Wins\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe End of Energy Obesity\u003c\/i\u003e, both published by Wiley.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 272\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.98 x 9.14 x 6.28 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e September 01, 2009\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42157031653511,"sku":"9780470542118","price":24.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0601\/2623\/2711\/files\/2be4dea2a42e607919a33716173ddd12.webp?v=1733248131","url":"https:\/\/booksby.splitshops.com\/products\/espn-the-company-the-story-and-lessons-behind-the-most-fanatical-brand-in-sports-hardcover","provider":"Books by splitShops","version":"1.0","type":"link"}